Superman in Crisis
by Multiverse-0f-Fantasy
Summary: Lex Luther is dead! And it was Superman who killed him. A gripping thriller about intrigue, pananoia and just how far even the best of us can fall over the edge. (Based on a podcast by Comicstorian and ComicsExplained.)
1. Chapter 1

The white noise echoed through the silence as his mind raced, his thoughts lost in the dull ringing in his ears as he stared dumbfounded down into his hands, stained red with blood.

The tall dark haired superhero stood there frozen in time, his red cape falling down his back slowly in the breeze, the red and gold S on his chest glinting against the rays of sunlight peering through the rubble and glass of the walls beside him. At his feet, the crumpled body lay still, lifeless, his limbs contorted with his neck bent sharply outwards, blood pooling under his skull as his large, green eyes stared up at the man hovering over him, judging him, _and condemning_ him!

Superman stared down at the face of Lex Luther, and asked himself "what have I done?"

"Superman!"

Clark's world snapped back into focus, time returning to normal as the dust cleared, the sounds of a city in turmoil erupting through his senses. The man of steel whirled around, staring wide eyed at the destroyed head office of Lex Corp tower, a large gaping hole where Lex's desk should've been, revealing the gleaming Metropolis outside as hundreds of comets rained down from the heavens.

"Superman!" the voice cried in his ear again, the sound of Batman waking him from his daze. "Are you there? Talk to me!"

"I'm here" Clark responded, taking a deep breath as he focused on Bruce's gravelly voice.

"You went radio silent for a while. Everything okay at Lex Corp?"

Superman glanced down at Lex's lifeless body, then back at his own blood stained hands. "Yeah" he lied. "Everything's fine. They all made it out."

"Good. We need you back out in the field. The meteor shower's getting worse and the Justice League is stretched thin."

"I'm on my way" he replied, cutting off his communicator as he walked towards the wall, keeping his gaze away from Lex as he flew out into the chaos.

Metropolis was a warzone. The meteor shower had hit earth's atmosphere twelve minutes ago, having drifted off of Saturn's rings following a run in with some space marauders looking to raid the planet. Superman stopped then with ease, but not until one of their explosions sent asteroids shooting towards Metropolis, leading to earths heroes racing the debris to save as many lives as possible. Superman could've vaporized all of them given enough time, but several had already broken the stratosphere and people were dying.

It's what led Superman to Lex-Corp in the first place. One such meteor had smashed through the building and nearly caused the top twelve floors to collapse with several employees still inside. Clark managed to catch the building before it could fall, holding it up long enough for the Flash to run in and set up sturdy supports in the blink of an eye, saving everyone inside.

He flew up to the offices to check on everyone to see if any injured needed to be taken outside in a hurry. Thankfully, everyone was okay and good enough to walk. Including the CEO of the company; Lex Luthor.

"Haven't you done enough damage?" the shady businessman and long-time rival to the kryptonian yelled, storming towards him from the rubble.

"You're building's still standing Luthor" Superman told him, trying to keep his voice level. Being face to face with this man always made his skin crawl, knowing everything he's responsible for but never being able to lock him away for it due to lack of evidence. "We need to get these people to the evacuation sites."

"I'm quite capable of looking after my staff" Lex replied curtly, nodding to his security detail ushering people out of the room to the fire stairs.

Superman nodded, satisfied his work was done. But before he could fly to leave, he saw another meteor heading straight for them. "look out!" he shouted, launching forward to grab Lex, shielding him as the asteroid smashed through the office window with a boom, exploding against the kyptonian's back harmlessly.

Lex immediately pushed himself away from the alien. "Get off me! You're the last person I trust to keep me safe."

Clark ground his jaw as he rose over the bald man. "You're welcome" he smiled emptily, marching towards the open window.

"For what?" he snapped, eyes full of anger. "For destroying my city? I know about the space pirates Superman. I know your battle with them caused all this, my satellites recorded the whole thing. I wonder if the people of Earth will thank you for saving them when they see it."

Clark stopped at the wall, glancing back at the man. "Are you trying to threaten me Luthor?" he said slowly, fighting the urge to turn back and give him any more of his time. He wasn't worth it. He could release the footage for all its worth, Clark had weathered much worse growing up with the Kent's.

Lex walked up to him confidently, his breath long and shallow, like a predator in the board room. "I know you think you're above such things like "due process", or politic and civil liberties, but mankind can still be illuminated to the truth. Ever since you came here, it's been one disaster after another. One alien invasion after the last. How many more innocent lives must be taken before you realise you're not helping us, you're bringing the monsters to your front door yourself."

Clark stood there listening, his jaw clenching as he listened to the man who had killed hundreds of people in the last year alone call _him_ a killer.

"Metropolis will learn the truth about today. And then tomorrow, I'm going to make it my mission to expose everything about out. Every secret weapon you've hidden away after those battles, every covert monster you've imprisoned here on earth, every stone will be turned till you are revealed as the greatest threat mankind has ever known." Lex paused, drawing up to the tall man of steel with the confidence of a man who've on the verge of winning a takeover. "This game we've played over the years…this is where it ends. However long it takes, I will destroy you, and everything you have will be ground to dust."

Superman's eyes burned red, the anger and frustration of years fighting Luthor combined with the stress of the last hour fighting pirates and saving innocent lives, boiling up inside him for the first time in a long while. All the rage, fear, pain, hatred, all hitting the surface, sparked by Lex's words.

 _I will destroy you._

"SHUT UP!" Superman snapped, whipping around to the man, hand extended out to strike the human across the face in a backhand. Lex went flying through the air, head spinning with wide eyes as he shot across the office space into a pillar, crashing into it with a loud thud before collapsing to the floor like a ragdoll.

Superman stood there, his eyes glowing read as his chest heaved with furious breath. After a minute, his breath slowed, his eyes returning to normal, the anger passing. He let out a breath and waited for Lex to get up off the floor.

Except he didn't. Clark heard his heartbeat flicker…then vanish.

He stared down at the man on the floor, his eyes widening, his breath catching as he darted to Lex's side. "Lex?" he said, lifting the man's head up to face him. Lex's gaze was blank, vacant, as they stared back. "Lex!" he shook him, listening for a heartbeat, a pulse, a breath. But then he felt the liquid on his fingers behind his head, pulling his hand away to see the blood. A quick look through X-ray vison showed the back of his skull cracked open, his neck broken, ribs cracks and organs ruptured. Clark dropped the business man to the ground, staring down at his blood red hands in disbelief.

Lex Luthor was dead. He killed him.

Clarks mind replayed that memory over and over again as he jetted around the city, pulling people out of burning buildings, smashed cars, away from debris and collapsing roads. He blasted as many asteroids as he could with his heat vison while the sight of Lex's vacant eyes haunted his vison, following him everywhere.

 _What have I done?_

He kept asking that over and over, refusing to believe the truth. Lex was dead by his hand. He was in such a tail spin he didn't hear Diana's voice as she called to him from across the rooftops. "What?" he stammered, his gaze finding her as she drifted up to him silently.

"I said its over" she called, gesturing to the city below. "That was the last one."

Clark looked down. Sure enough, the sky had stopped falling and the city was finished burning. He listened and heard the clear of thousands of people as they realised the threat was over. "They're safe" he said quietly, scanning the streets, the people.

"You did it" Wonder Woman smiled, looking proudly at Clark.

He looked back up at her, Lex's face returning to his mind. "We need to go!" he told her, panic setting in, the memory of him striking the man replaying once more.

Diana's expression grew concerned, seeing him change right before her. "What's wrong?" she asked him worried.

"Just follow me" he said urgently, shooting off before she could press for answers, leaving her to catch up as he flew back to Lex-Corp tower.

He got there in a matter of seconds, scanning the interior until he found him, his blood running cold as he saw Lex's body being carried away in a stretcher by two paramedics out of the building. Diana arrived beside him and hovered over the crowd as he watched them zip his arch-nemesis up in a body bag before pushing him into an ambulance to be carried away.

"Clark?" Diana spoke softly, reaching out to him full of concern. "Clark, what the matter?"

But Clark didn't hear her. All he heard were the sirens, the screams, the ringing in his ears, Lex's blood dripping from his fingertips as he stared into space.

 _What have I done?_


	2. Chapter 2

The Justice League Watchtower floated above the planet Earth alongside the dozens of other satellites, monitoring every wavelength and new signal it could pick up, a constant stream of information funnelling through the central computer were the League could watch over the world. There was always a member on board to keep an eye on the systems, report anything considered threatening and make repairs when needed. Today, the entire team sat around the conference table to debrief on the most recent meteor shower.

"All scans of the sector have come up clear" Cyborg reported to the assembled party. "The last of the asteroid fragments has dissipated over the Atlantic. The green lanterns have taken the space pirates into custody, Hal leaving with them so they face a trial."

"And what about the casualties on Earth?" Diana asked.

"Reports are still coming in on missing or wounded civilians" Batman reported coldly. "Current numbers are at over a hundred wounded, around 23 in critical condition, and a further 16 still unaccounted for."

"Fatalities?" Arthur Curry queried.

"47 confirmed, with dozens more waiting to be identified…" Batman continued, but Clark's attention drifted away from the conversation. He sat quietly, ghostly still, looking down at his own hands. They'd been cleaned of all traces of Lex's blood after returning to the watchtower, yet Clark still searched with his telescopic vison to find the red remnants.

 _They will never be clean. It's all there. What I did. What have I done? What do I do? Should I tell somebody? I should tell them what I did. Convince them it was an accident. Will they believe me? Why would they not? It was an accident, I know it was._

"Clark?"

Superman sat up sharply, clearing his throat as he looked around the table. Everyone was looking at him, _staring at him_. "Sorry" he said, sounding distracted. "It's been a long day."

"I can imagine" Jon Jones commented, his gaze cast over him with concern.

Superman stayed calm, but mentally cringed. _What if he reads my mind and sees what I've done?_ He shook the fear away, deciding to do the right thing. _They should know it was an accident._ "Listen, about Lex Luthor…"

He opened his mouth to speak, but Batman cut him off. "Lex's death was an unfortunate tragedy. He investors are already scrambling to pick up the pieces and save his company. But that's all anyone could do after such an accident."

Clark's gaze snapped to Batman, his breath catching. "Accident?"

"The meteor shower" Batman replied, his face grim. "The building was more compromised than we realised. The roof caved in on the upper floors. Reports are coming in that Lex and his security detail lead the evacuation after you secured the building. The structure fell apart after you left. Apparently Lex was so concerned about getting his staff out he didn't have a chance to save himself. He was buried under the rubble, his skull caved in, and neck broken." He finished talking, looking Clark dead in the eyes. "There was nothing anyone could've done."

Clark stared at him, the ringing in his ears coming back stronger. _They believe he was killed after I left. But that's not right. I should tell them…_

 _Why? They don't suspect you. They think the roof killed him, why turn yourself in. you can forget all about it._

Clark looked around at the assembled table, each of them looking at him with sombre expressions.

 _You didn't mean to kill him, so why pay the price. You got away with it. No one need ever know._

"You're right" Clark said finally, his voice sombre as he looked them each in the eye. "There was nothing we could've done."

After the meeting concluded, Clark stood by the observation window looking down at the planet, lost in thought as he went over everything that had transpired.

 _Did I do the right thing?_

Diana walked up next to him, looking down at the horizon. "Beautiful isn't it?" she said smiling. "Sometimes it's good to just stop and remember why we fight so hard."

Clark nodded, staring from the glass. "We do it for them" he said, finding those words feeling empty.

 _Do we? Or are we just protecting ourselves._

He felt a hand on his arm, turning around to find Diana looking at him with the same tenderness and compassion he regarded all of them with. "So Clark" she said cheerfully, her eyes giving way to mild concern. "What was it you wanted to show me?"

"I'm sorry?" he replied, his brow furrowing.

"Back in Metropolis. You were taking me to find something before we saw Lex's body being taken away. What was it?"

"Oh, I…" Clark stammered, a cold chill running up his spine. _I was going to tell you everything. But now I can't. I lied to everyone._ He took a step back away from her, turning his head to look down at the planet. _What if she find not I lied? What if she discovered I killed him? She would understand, she'd believe me. But she has a duty to her people. She'll need to take me in._

 _I can't let that happen. I can't let anyone find out what I've done._

"Clark?" Diana's expression sharpened. She saw him grow tense, like he was scared. Seeing that scared her, wanting to reach for him, give him comfort.

But he pulled away. "I'm sorry" he said, turning sharply to walk away. "I need to be somewhere." He moved briskly out the room, trying to appear as if he heard something with his superhuman hearing so she'd assume he's left to save more lives.

In reality, Diana stood in shock as her close friend ran away from her, fearing she'd done something wrong to upset him. Afraid he was in trouble he couldn't tell her about.

Superman flew around the world, helping where he could, stopping conflicts, blowing out fires, stopping petty crimes, anything he could do to keep busy. When he couldn't save the world he returned to the Daily Planet, returning to his desk to type up his story on the meteor shower for Perry.

Co-workers stopped by every few minutes for banter, including Jimmy who wanted to show him some photos he caught of the Justice League in action, front page quality as usual. Clark did his best to make small talk, but his heart was racing, his mind swirling with thoughts and counter thoughts. He kept glancing up from his computer, flicking through the faces of everyone in the room, darting from one to the next, listening in on their hushed conversations. He was afraid, afraid they were talking about him.

 _Do they suspect something? Do they know what really happened?_

His fingers tapped along the keyboard as his head spun on a swivel, watching and listening intently, looking for signs. He could feel the sweat on his brow, the voices blurring together as he blinked rapidly, holding his breath.

 _Do they know?_

"Hey there stranger" a female voice greeted him, making him jump out of his skin and his chair. The dark haired woman laughed as she watched him stumble to his feet, spinning around to face her. "It's not often I get a man falling at my feet" Lois Lane giggled, raising an eyebrow. "Where were you Smallville?"

"Me?" Clark breathed, straightening his tie as he stood awkwardly in front of her. He started speaking quickly, nervous ticks preventing him from staying still. "I haven't been anywhere. I've been working, all day. Why? Who said I've been somewhere? Who have you been talking to?"

"Easy, just take a breath" she said calmly, putting a reassuring hand on his arm. "Someone's been drinking too much coffee. I wasn't talking about up here." She poked his forehead. "You were zoned out, staring at your wall. Wondered where you head was at. What story you working on?"

Clark sank back into his seat, moving between her and the computer without being sure why. "Um, just recounting how the meteor shower affected everyone in the city. You know, covering our bases."

"Not writing how Superman saved everyone?"

"I assumed you had that covered."

"Sadly, no. Brenda beat me to the punch" she said sadly, sitting on the edge of the desk crossing her legs. She looked down at him with an excited glint in her eye. "No, I'm covering the Luthor angle."

Clark stiffened, crossing his arms defensively. "Really" he said, licking his lips. "What…what angle is that?"

"Well, with him gone, there are a lot of loose threads that need pulling. Conspires to crack open and dodgy dealing to expose. We may not get him to see justice for his crimes, but that doesn't mean his associates are off the table. First rule of reporting, always take an opportunity when you see it." She looked around the office before shifting closer, leaning in to whisper to Clark, "between you and me? I'm not convinced Lex's death was an accident."

Clark's blood froze, fear tightening his chest as he tried to remain cool, adjusting his tie that suddenly felt too tight. "WH...Why would you say that?" he asked her, a lump forming in his throat. "I thought they determined it was an accident."

"They did" she nodded, tapping her knee. "But…I don't know. I have a gut feeling there's more to this than just a roof collapsing. I'm waiting on my contact at the ME's office to smuggle me the autopsy report to find out if I'm right."

Clark's heartbeat pounded in his skull. _She knows! She know something's wrong! If she finds out I was involved..! What do I do? I need to stop her!_

He spun back in his chair, unable to look at her. What was his mind suggesting? He couldn't hurt her. That's not what he does.

 _Tell that to Lex Luthor!_

Lois looked at him with a bemused smile. "So?" she pressed. "What do you think?"

"I think…" Clark chose his words carefully, "I think you might be chasing shadows. It was a crazy day. And how would anyone have a chance to hurt Lex and hide it in a collapsing building?"

She shrugged, jumping off the desk to her feet. "I don't know. But I need to check it out." She goes to exit the cubicle, but stops to turn back to him. "You want to get a drink after work? Talk about it some more?"

He blinked twice, staring up at her with surprise. Then suspicion. _She's never asked me out for coffee without needing something from me. What could she possibly…?_

 _It's an ambush. She knows and she plans to interrogate you! You can't let her!_

"Sorry, can't" he replied quickly. "Too busy." He turned back to his computer, staring at it intently.

Lois looked at him oddly, startled at how he brushed her off all of a sudden. "Ok" she said, slowly walking away. "Some other time then."

She left him alone in his cubicle, where he watched her leave intently. He wiped the sweat from his brow, loosening his shirt. _That was too close_ , he thought, returning to his work. But as he reread his article, his widened as he realised what he'd been typing. The same sentence over and over again:

 _I killed Lex Luthor._

He erased the document as fast as he could, checking to see if anyone had seen it. He wondered if Lois had seen it. _What if she saw?_ He shook his head, stepping out for some air. _I need to breathe._

That night, Clark tossed and turned in his sleep, the images of him standing over Lex's body haunting his dreams.

He saw himself in Luthor tower, his hands covered in blood, on his knees screaming silently to the heavens. Then behind him, the dark shape of Lex Luthor rose up from the dead, shambling over to him like a zombie. Clark turned his head to face him as he reached out with gnarled fingers, the blank expression lighting up across his face.

Clark shot up out of bed in a cold sweat, his breath heaving heavily as he looked around. He was back in his apartment, pitch black in the middle of Metropolis. He calmed down, the nightmare fading away. He didn't feel too good. He should've taken Victor up on his offer for a medical scan, but he declined because he feared Cyborgs refined sensors may detect he was lying about what really happened. He shut him out, running home to sleep.

"What am I doing?" he asked himself, shaking his head and gazing around the apartment.

He gaze came to the window, where he saw a dark figure watching him from outside. Clark blinked, shaking his head, and when he looked again, the figure was gone. It's just a dream" he told himself. But then he heard a knock at the door.

He got up slowly, wearing only his boxer shorts, and walked quietly to his front door. He used his x ray vison, but saw no one there. He opened the door quickly, finding the hallway empty. _Odd_ , he thought.

His bare foot steeped on something. He looked down to find it was a folded piece of paper. Clark bent down and picked it up, unfolding it to read the hastily scrawled words within. As soon as he did, he stumbled back against the doorframe, his breath shooting out of him like he'd been punched in the gut. "Oh god!" he whispered as his eyes staring frightfully at the message.

" _I know what you did_."


	3. Chapter 3

Superman patrolled Metropolis like a guardian angel, scanning the streets and waving to the people down below as they stopped to watch him pass overhear, gazing awestruck at their hero, their symbol.

But high in the sky, Clark's mind was anything but awestruck, or calm. _I know what you did._ Those were the words that followed him over the city, echoing from the note he'd found outside his door. _Someone out there knows. How could they know?_ The reporter in him ran through the possibilities, all the people who could potentially have the means to deduce the truth.

Batman? _He's the world's greatest detective, but he'd ask me face to face._ Diana? _Maybe I didn't send the right signals. She has been distant with me since the incident, although I'm been keeping my distance also._ Lois? _She could've found something in the Medical Examiners report proving foul play. But she doesn't know who I am, so how could she send me the note?_

He continued running through the names and eliminating them, until he heard something from several blocks away. Gunfire. Immediately he changed course and soured between the buildings, landing in the middle of the street within seconds.

His feet touched down in the financial district, several police cars surrounding a jewellery store where four armed thugs were holding staff members hostage, waving their guns in the air. "Nobody comes any closer!" the lead robber screamed, his tone giving away his fear. _They weren't prepared for a stand-off. Good, this won't take long._

Superman marched straight into the line of fire, his heat vison hitting each of the groups weapons till they were so hot they had to let go to avoid burning themselves. Once disarmed he sprinted forward, pulling them away from the hostages and tossing them before the stunned police officers.

"Did nobody advise you not to commit a crime in this city?" he asked the thugs as they were arrested, ducting his hands while crushing the guns under his boot.

"Thanks Superman" one of the officers said as he hauled the leader away in handcuffs. "No telling how many people might've died without you."

Clark nodded to the man, scowling at the thug as he spat at him, before being dragged towards the police cruiser. Clark wiped his face, smiling at a job well done.

"I know your secret" the thug whispered under his breath.

Clark spun back with wide eyes, staring at the man being manhandled into the cruiser. "What did you say?" he called after him, storming forward.

The officer looked back alarmed as the thug looked up at him with contempt. "I didn't say nothing" he replied, but Superman pulled him out the car and slammed him against the hood aggressively.

"I heard you" he growled menacingly, his eyes beginning to glow red. "You think you know me? You think you know what I can do? What I've done? Tell me!"

The man in his grip paled, the tough act disappearing and being replaced with terror. "Dude, I don't know what you're talking about. I didn't say anything, I swear! I DIDN'T SAY NOTHING!"

His voice trembled and his heart was racing, all signs the man was afraid, and telling the _truth_. Clark let go of the cowering man, stepping away with alarm at his actions. He looked around to see all the officers staring at him, eyes wide, hands instinctively on their holsters. Clark breathed rapidly, spinning around at their fearful expressions, before leaping into the sky to fly away as fast as he could.

Clark had to know the truth, despite feeling it deep down in his bones. But he had to be sure.

Taking on his civilian persona, Clark Kent made his way to Lex-Corp tower, which had just been cleared by the safety inspectors. He strode past trucks transporting debris from the site as he talked his way into the building, following a security guard through the corridors on the bottom level to the security room, where the camera footage is stored.

"I don't see why the Daily Planet would be interested the bosses accident" the guard said as he took his seat. "Seems a little…in sensitive, don't you think?"

"I just want to see what happened" Clark told him, leaning over his shoulder as the man tapped away at his computer. "You know, make sure we have the facts correct." He doubted the man believed his story, but he needed to see the footage so he didn't care if he trusted his word.

The video from the security cameras were a Hail Mary. He'd already come back in his tights to examine the offices upstairs but found nothing that clarified anything. So now he waited for the guard to cycle through the files to the day in question so he could determine if Lex was alive after he left, absolving him of any fault.

"I'm sorry Mr Kent" the man shook his head, turning back to face him. "It's gone."

"Gone?" Clark replied in confusion. "What do you mean gone?"

He gestured to the empty screens. "The meteor shower took out the power station and triggered a surge through the power lines throughout the city. There have been reports of system networks suffering irreparable damage. We're still going over our own systems looking for corrupted files, many of the hard drives have already be fried from the surge. I'm sorry, but the security footage seems to have been lost too."

Clark stared at the screen, dread creeping over his face. If he couldn't prove he was innocent, then for better or worse, the facts stayed the same.

He said his apologies for wasting their time and left, walking out through the busy street, lost in thought. _This is a good thing. If there's no footage, there's nothing tying you to the scene of the crime._

 _Apart from the dozens of Lex's staff who saw him there._

 _But they left before the…accident. You're in the clear._

"Maybe" Clark muttered, his eyes darting around the streets at every face he passed. It felt like a hundred eyes were watching him, waiting for him to stumble, make a mistake, _and confess_.

He shakes his head, trying to quell the unsettling feeling in his stomach, but his gaze found something. A figure standing in the shadows across the road, hidden in an alley. Clark stopped dead, staring at him as the figure quickly turned and disappeared into the alley.

"Hey!" he called out, running across the road, narrowly missing traffic. He could've sprinted at superhuman speed, but with so many witnesses he had to maintain the illusion he was like everyone else. He chased the figure into the alley, but came up short as he ran into a chain-link fence and found the alley empty. He scanned the area with x-ray vison, unable to see anyone or hear them. He was all alone in the alley.

But he recognised the dark figure from last night, remembered him from his apartment window. What if he hadn't been dreaming?

 _What if I'm being followed?_

That night Clark couldn't sleep, so he went out to patrol the city. He daren't let himself think so he did what he does best. Protect the people.

Less than an hour into his flight patterns he heard the sirens, smelt the smoke on the breeze, and heard the roar in his ears. The fire was on the opposite side of the city, but he got there faster than the emergency response vehicles. It was an apartment block, five floors high, all set ablaze. Superman wasted no time in diving into the inferno as he began pulling people out into the street for the ambulances to arrive.

He went floor to floor, top to bottom, finishing in the last apartment as he barged through the door. He spin in a circle, quickly finding the family huddled in a cupboard, fearful as their home burned around them. Superman cleared his path with his freeze breath, approaching them as they cried for his help. "Its okay" he told them over the roar of the flames. "There's no need to be afraid. Help is…here…"

Superman came to a stop several feet from them, a wall of flames still blocking their escape. His gaze was locked to the wall on his left, transfixed at an image that made the Man of Steel freeze solid. The family called out to him, pleaded with him as the flames grew hotter, closing in on them quickly. But Superman didn't notice them, or hear their blood curdling screams. He just stared at the wall, at the letters burnt into it clear for all to see;

" _I know who you killed."_

Clark was dumbfounded, flashbacks of that day running through his mind, sending him plummeting into his own mind as the apartment block crumbled around him, collapsing in on itself, burying him under two hundred tones to brick and mortar.

When he woke up he found himself in darkness, dust in his eyes as he blinked awake. Felt the rubble on top of him, using little effort to push himself up to his feet, emerging from the smouldering ash pile like he was a ghost. All around him a crowd shouted and cheered, seeing their hero lived. He looked up at them, feeling dizzy after blacking out, searching the crowd for answers to a question wasn't sure how to ask.

Then he saw him. The dark figure from before, staring down at him silently from amidst the crowd. His body was cloaked in shadow, but Clark saw his face as the flashing lights illuminated his expressionless features.

He stared up in shock as Lex Luthor stared back down at him.


	4. Chapter 4

The thunder clapped loudly through the night sky as lightning flashed, illuminating the dark cometary just outside the city limits. Gravestones glowed as the wind ripped through them, blowing crumbling leaves along the cold hard ground, weaving between the graves like ghosts. In the centre of the field, a frantic figure crawled his way down into the dirt, shovelling up soil with his bare hands faster than any digger.

 _He has to be here!_

The imposing form of Superman tore up the ground with little regard to common decency, not caring if he was seen desecrating someone's final resting place. He had to know. He dug up the grave until he found it, the wooden coffin buried six feet below, still pristine and smooth. _He had only been buried yesterday._

Clark pulled his hand back and punched a hole in the box, splintered exploding as he pried the lid off, tossing it aside and looking down at the body of Lex Luthor. The man he killed.

"That's impossible" he said quietly, staring at the man dressed in a white suit with his arms crossed, eyes closed looking peaceful. The memory of him lying on the floor by his feet staring up at him reared its head, contrasting the image before him. That was then followed by the sight of him earlier that evening, hidden amongst the crowd of a burning building, staring at Superman with contempt. "That's impossible" he repeated.

He knelt over the body, his eyes scanning the corpse, the coffin, the grave, using all his vison setting searching for signs of tampering, of deceit. _Is it a clone? A fake? A body double? I couldn't have seen Lex earlier. He's here, in the ground, where I put him. That man…he's an imposter. He's got to be._

"Superman, come in."

Clark flinched, the sound of Jon's voice startling him. He reached down to the communicator hidden in his suit, pressing it to his ear. "Jon? What is it?"

"I need you to report to the watchtower" the Martian Manhunter said urgently. "It's important."

 _Does he know? Does he know what I did?_

Clark stopped himself from overreacting. If Jon knew he'd killed Luthor, he'd have confronted him in person. This had to be something else. He cast one last look down at Lex's grave before flying off into the night sky.

"We have a problem" Jon Jones told the man of steel as he entered the control centre.

Clark walked cautiously forward, keeping a short distance from the telepath, focusing his thoughts so no stray fears or doubts alerted the Martian to something amiss. Jon also claimed he couldn't read the kryptonian's mind, but he had doubts. He didn't want to take the chance he was right.

"Mr Allen reported a break in at Star Labs early this evening" Jon continued, turning his attention to the screen as all the relevant information was displayed. "Turns out at some point during the recent meteor shower, someone used the opportunity to steal some prototype equipment while the security grid was down."

"What was taken?" Clark asked, only slightly concerned.

"An advanced energy cannon, some specialised batteries to power it…and kryptonite."

Clark's gaze snapped to Jon. "Kryptonite? What were star labs doing with kryptonite?"

"We don't know. Diana's questioning the scientists now. According to Barry's initial research into the project, it seems the rock's disappearance alongside the energy cannon wasn't coincidence. Supposedly, with the right altercations to the device, it can utilise Kryptonite as a power source. While that does provide a possible outlook into new energy sources, it also means the cannon can be weaponised against…"

"Me" Superman finished, and uneasy feeling settling in his stomach. "Where is Barry now?"

"Still at the lab. Should tell him to…" he started to ask, but Clark was already gone, speeding off in a blur.

He raced out of the space station and rocketed down to the planet straight for Star Labs, where he found the flash flicking through the files at the speed of sound. He jerked up when he felt the air shift as his teammate stopped in the middle of the lab, which was littered with equipment, glass and chemicals. "I was expecting you 4.5 seconds ago" Flash commented, speeding around the room analysing data, taking samples, photographing evidence.

"What do we have?" Clark asked, forgoing the unnecessary formalities.

Barry pointed to the hole in the wall leading out into the street. "Point of entry's over there. Asteroid tore through the reinforced concrete like butter. Someone must've been cutting corners because it's not supposed to be that easy to break through. Though, a foreign object hurtling from the sky at several hundred miles per second might alter the math a bit, but still…"

"Focus Barry" Clark snapped, scanning the exit and finding tire tracks right outside. "This how they got the cannon out the building?"

"Batman's running the treads now" Flash nodded, barely looking up from the filing cabinet. "we figure the thieves saw the chaos from the meteor shower, took a chance, waited outside the building and prayed god was on their side. When the walls were breached, they rushed in, grabbed what they could, and then left."

"Rather specific for an on the spot opportunist crime" Clark noted, looking around at the dozens of more easily transferable things that were worth an easy fortune on the black market. _They came here with a specific target in mind. A weapon that could hurt someone like me. Who would've had the confidence or foresight for that?_

 _I can think of someone._

"No" he mumbled, scanning the skyline as he pondered the mystery. "I can't be him."

"Can't be who?" flash asked, appearing by his side. "You have an idea who could've done this?"

Clark glanced at him, shaking his head. "That man I'm thinking of is gone. I don't who could've pulled this off."

"My moneys on the theory the thieves just grabbed whatever looked most expensive" he shrugged. He looked outside where he suddenly narrowed his gaze. "What they hell is that?" he asked in surprise.

Clark followed his line of sight, realising he was staring up at the moon high above the city. At first he wondered what had caught his attention, but then he saw it. Along the moon's surface, something had etched a word in the ground, big enough to see all the way from Earth. Clark read it twice, his eyes widening in shock and disbelief.

" _Killer."_

"Who the hell who vandalise the moon like that?" the flash asked in amazement. "Better question… _why_ would anyone write that? And how? That's got to be…" but superman had stopped listening, his heart rate quickening until it was pounding in his chest.

 _How?_

He lowered his gaze to a rooftop several blocks away, seeing a familiar dark figure standing upon it, looking down at him. Clark glared at the man, seeing the unmistakable sneer of Lex Luthor in his telescopic vison.

Without a word of acknowledgement, he launched himself into the air, leaving Barry behind in the dust to stare at empty air in his wake. Clark raced across the rooftops until he found the building the figure had been standing on, landing hard and scanning the area.

It was empty.

Clark whirled around wildly, searching for the man. "You're not him" he called out, his tone challenging the imposter. "You're not him, you hear me! You can't be!" he screamed out over the city, waking up everyone in a five block radius. "You're dead!" he screamed into the night sky, his voice travelling as far as it could ever reach, all the way to the heavens. "I killed you! YOU HEAR ME? I KILLED YOU!"


	5. Chapter 5

It had been over 24 hours since the discovery of the graffiti on the moon. 24 hours since Superman was at the Star Labs to analyse the crime scene where a kryptonian weapon was stolen. 24 hours since Clark Kent last saw Lex Luthor, watching him from a rooftop. 24 hours without sleep, scouring the city, the country, searching for a ghost, blocking any communications from his friends, ignoring all cries t=for help, searching for him.

24 hours of nothing.

Clark now sat in his fortress of solitude, knees up to his chest, rocking on the floor, wild eyes staring off into space as his mind was a chaotic mess of questions and answers. Theories and counter theories, all spinning in circles leaving his body in a catatonic state.

Behind him, scrawled across the ice walls in crimson blood, was the word _"murderer"._ Clark had no idea how it got there. Honestly, he no longer cared. Lex was out there, and he was sure he was behind the theft of the energy cannon.

 _It has to be him. Who else would have the knowledge to combine it with kryptonite? And why now? I tried to kill him, and now he's back for revenge. But what is he waiting for? Why is he taunting me?_

 _He wants you to panic. To become unfocused. You need to be ready. He will come for you. And when he does, you need to be ready._

"I need to be ready" Clark muttered, rocking on the floor as the nightmares haunted him, the image of Lex's decomposing body rising up and shuffling towards him, pointing an accusing figure at him as he waited. Waited for the real thing to come.

Lois Lane sits at her desk going over her notes, running through all the paperwork and research she's gathered over the last week on her story. _It's not enough_ , she realised, sighing in frustration as she threw them down defeated.

She'd spent days badgering the Medical Examiner who autopsied Lex Luthor's body, tracked down every member of staff in the building that day, interviewed every officer and paramedic on duty, and come up with nothing. Nothing to suggest Lex's death was anything more than an accident. No foul play. Case closed.

 _So why is my gut telling me different?_

She shook her head, rising to her feet to walk to the water cooler and get a drink. As she crossed the ball pen of the Daily Planet she heard Perry's voice bellowing from his office, undoubtedly reprimanding one of the junior reporters for writing conjecture without facts. She imagined a similar conversation she'd be having if she came to him with what she had, knowing he'd take the story and throw it in the shredder. "Unless you can prove otherwise, Lex died in an accident. That's all anyone will believe" he'd tell her.

She took a plastic cup and filling it with water, barely bringing it to her lips before the explosion knocked her off her feet.

The wind was knocked out of her as she hit the floor, papers scattering everywhere as more members of staff dived for cover. She heard Jimmy grunt as he stumbled under his desk, seeing him holding a hand to his shoulder, blood seeping through his fingers. She scrambled behind a fallen table, bravely peeking over the top to see the source of the explosion.

At the back wall of the ball pen was a group of armed men, wearing ski masks and tactical body armour, carrying automatic rifles which they fired into the ceiling, sending the rest of the staff to the ground. "Listen up!" the leader stepped forward, carrying a large weapon Lois had never seen before. He held it by two handles, like a battering ram, the nozzle aimed at them glowing a faint green colour. Lois figured she did not want to be on the receiving end of that thing.

"We're not here to hurt anyone" the leader said quickly, nodding to his men to circle the ball pen and round up the staff. "But so long as you cooperate, we won't have to. Do as we say, don't try anything stupid, and this will be over before you know it."

Lois ducked behind the table out of sight, pulling out her phone and dialling 911, before peeking around to see Jimmy reaching for his camera, snagging a quick picture as he retreated into a side office. _Good shot Olsen,_ Lois smiled, holding the phone to her ear ready to whisper the emergency.

Unfortunately, one of the goons with rifles found her before she could say a word, yelling at her and grabbing her phone, stomping on it as he hauled her to her feet. "LET GO OF ME!" she screamed as she was dragged into Perry's office with the rest of the Daily Planet, hoping to get someone's attention. _You'd better be hearing this_. "HELP!"

Halfway across the world, Lois' voice reached Clark's ears, jarring him out of his meditation. His head snapped up as he listened more intently, her voice joined by those of the Daily Planet and the thugs holding them hostage. "No" he gasped, realising they were under attack.

"Did you really think I'd come after you?"

Superman jumped to his feet as he spun around to face the ghost in his fortress. Lex Luthor stood there, mere metres in front of him, dressing in the same white suit he was buried in. he looked at the Man of Steel coldly, cocking his head in amusement. "Why go after the fabled Superman when I can just as easily attack those he cares about" Lex said without emotion.

Clark's jaw was agape, his eyes glowing red as hatred burned forth. "If you hurt them..." he began, but Lex cut him off. "Or what? You'll kill me again?"

Lex chuckled. "I'm not your enemy right now, _Clark_. The men holding the Daily Planet hostage are." He nodded his head towards the door. "You'd better go, before someone gets hurt. Like Perry White. Or Jimmy Olsen. Or maybe Lois Lane."

At the mention of Lois' name, Superman paused in terror, before sprinting past Lex at the speed of sound to fly back to Metropolis. He barrelled through the sky like a rocket, not stopping for anything until he crashed through the wall of the building straight into the group of thugs guarding the hostages, sending half of them flying across the ball pen with six tons of brink and mortar.

"he's here!" one of the armed men cried out in alarm, two more whirling around and firing their rifles wilding in his direction. Superman walked forward as the bullets bounced off his chest harmlessly, reaching out and crushing the guns before grabbing the thugs and tossing them over his shoulder to the ground.

He looked up to see a third guy holding Perry by the arm, gun pointed at his head. Clark didn't hesitate, using his frost breath to freeze the trigger in place, rendering it useless as Perry elbowed his captor in the face.

"The cannon?" Superman asked them, scanning everyone for injuries.

"Behind you" a voice called out to him. He turned back to see the leader standing there, pointing the energy cannon directly at him.

Clark went to move towards him but was hit by the bright green beam that erupted from the nozzle, sending him flying out of the building and plummeting to the street below. He landed in a heap, the kryptonite stinging and making his muscles ache as she struggled to breathe.

"Well that was predictable" Lex said, standing over him smugly.

"You won't get away with this" Clark told him, pushing himself to his feet, stumbling to a nearby car to hold his balance.

"Won't I?" Lex asked mockingly. "Just like all the other times you said I won't get away with a crime I didn't commit? There was never any evidence linking me to those unfortunate incidents, so what makes you think this will be any different? I don't lose Clark. I never have. Even when you murdered me, I will win in the end. Just you wait. I'll take everything away from you."

"No!" superman screamed, fury burning into the taunting ghost as he propels himself back into the building, landing in front of the startled man holding the kryptonite weapon as he attempted to charge it up for another blast. He didn't let him fire, unleashing his heat vison until the prototype exploded in his hands, making the thug cry out in pain and fall to his knees.

Superman walked slowly towards the man, now crying as he held up his burnt hands, pleading "I surrender" like a cowardly lion. Clark felt a stab of pain as his ears started to ring, an after effect from the blast, and when he looked back at the man, it was Lex on his knees.

"What are you waiting for?" Lex asked him, a questioning eyebrow raised. "Finish it. I'll just keep coming back. You know I will."

 _He's right. This has to end. You've done it before._

Superman stood over the bald man, eyes glowing red as he clenched his fist, knuckles turning white. Lex laughed at him, his voice filling the room. "Do it Superman! FINISH IT!"

Clark raised his hand to clamp around Lex's throat, gripping him tight, but his laughter continued to echo through the room.

 _This ends now._

He raised his fist, pulling back as he glared down at the man laughing at him, daring him.

 _This ends now!_

"DO IT!"

Superman grit his teeth, tensing his arm, ready to strike, when he felt a sharp pain in his neck. He reached up and pulled the small needle from his skin, staring at it as the green liquid drip from the point.

Seconds later, Superman collapsed onto the floor and backed out.

Clark came too in the Watchtower an hour later, finding himself in a red sun cell surrounded by the Justice League, all asking the same thing; "what was he thinking?"

He tried to explain his actions, but he quickly discovered that everything he thought he was witnessing at the Daily Planet wasn't as it seemed. The man he was about to kill, it wasn't Lex at all. The man was surrendering, unarmed and pleading for his life as Clark prepared to murder him. Once Clark realised he'd been hallucinating Lex the entire time, explaining his actions became more…complicated without confessing to what he'd done.

"Clark!" Diana pleaded with him as he fell silent, her compassionate voice straining as she tried to get through to him. "Please, talk to us? Help us understand."

"We just what to help Superman" Flash told him, trying to sound less worried than he was.

He remained quiet, looking away ashamed as they all stood over him. Finally Batman turned to the League and said "I think I should talk to him alone. He might cooperate easier with he's not crowded."

They all hesitated, reluctant to leave, but it was Diana's nod that compelled the others to file out of the room. Wonder Woman placed a hand on Clarks shoulder before she left, casting a concerned glance back at him before shutting the door, sealing Clark and Bruce inside alone.

Batman waited silently for Clark to speak first, knowing he must need to explain it to him. _I need to tell him_ , he accepted, finally seeing how messed up his life is becoming keeping the secret. _For better or worse, maybe he'll understand._

"Bruce" Clark said slowly, his lower lip quivering as tears formed in his eyes. He didn't know if he could bring himself to admit it, but he had to try. "I need…I need to tell you something."

"I know" he said quietly, looking down at his shaking friend.

Clark looked up at him. "You…you know?" he stammered, but Bruce's expression remained unchanged. Even when he spoke, he gave no emotion.

"I know you killed Lex Luthor."


	6. Chapter 6

Clark stared at Bruce for a long minute, the shock of the statement catching him off guard. "You…You know?" he said, studying the silent form of the Batman, unnerved at how unwaveringly calm he was.

"I know" he repeated.

Clark blinked, his chest feeling heavy all of a sudden. "How? W…when?"

"Since the start" he told him. "I was there."

Clark's breath hitched, his blood freezing over. _This can't be happening_ , his mind screamed, unable to accept what was clearly the truth. The sound of Bruce's heartbeat and steady breathing confirmed it.

"I got to L-Corp not long after you did" he continued, keeping his gaze on Superman, watching his reactions carefully. "I saw what you'd done, after hearing what Lex threatened to do. I didn't expect you to finally snap, but I wasn't surprised. I stayed out of sight when I saw how distraught you were, but we had a city to save. So I called you back into the field, thankful you kept your head long enough to go back out there and do your thing."

"You knew" Clark whispered, shaking his head. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"There wasn't time. And I thought I could help in other ways. Wiping the hard drives to the security cameras was easy, making it look like a network malfunction was child's play. The hard part was triggering an explosion to cause the roof to collapse in such a way it disguised all evidence of your involvement. Of course, I hacked into the relevant database to oversee the autopsy results myself, removing anything contradicting the narrative set in motion."

"That Lex died in an accident as a result of the meteor shower. But you never told me."

Bruce pursed his lips, the first sign of expression since this conversation began. "I didn't think we'd need to. I thought with the narrative in place you could simply move on, forget how it happened, especially when you failed to come clean on your own. Your secret was safe." He paused momentarily. "But, I needed to be sure, so I followed you for a few days, just to keep an eye on you, keeping to the shadows out of sight. You may have seen me on a few of them" he added.

Clark thought back to the dark figure stalking him over the past week. He was sure they were Lex, but he was wrong. "What about the notes?" he asked him.

"What notes?" Bruce asked, narrowing his eyes.

"The messages you left me!" Clark snapped angrily. ""I know what you did", remember? You left that at my apartment. The writing on the wall…"

"Clark, listen to me" Bruce knelt down and grasped Superman's shoulders tightly, looking him dead in the face. "Listen to me. I didn't write those messages. _You did._ "

Clark stared at him in disbelief. "What? Why would I..." but then he stopped, falling silent as the realisation struck him like a lightning bolt. He remembered.

"After you found out you'd gotten away with killing Lex Luthor" Bruce explained, his voice narrating the story Clark had forming in his head, "you were struggling. Keeping the secret was harder that you thought it'd be. You crawled into yourself, hiding away, the guilt eating you alive. Your mind couldn't cope with the stress so you suffered a psychotic break, unnoticeable at first but became worse the longer you were out there. You sent yourself those messages, blocking out any memory of making them. You started forgetting thing and fabricating others, hearing voices, seeing things that aren't there. The thug speaking to you, in your head. The message burned into that burning building, made from your own heat vision. The word 2killer" in the moon, satellites saw you carving it. I even snuck a drone into your fortress in time to see you painting your walls with your own blood. That's when I knew I had to bring you in, before you hurt yourself or worse."

Clark looked at him, his gaze clouded as he recalled all the madness he'd gone through. _Lex was never here. He wasn't real. It was all in his head._ "The attack on the Daily Planet" he said questioningly, looking at Bruce for answers. "The theft at Star Labs…"

"A distraction" he told him. "The thugs took the newspaper hostage in order to divert attention from the break in at the bank down the street. The modified energy cannon was a means to keep you occupied long enough for the heist to go unnoticed. Whatever delusion you'd came up with, it was just a coincidence."

"So Lex isn't behind any of it?"

He shook his head. "No. Lex is dead. He's never coming back."

They sat there in silence as Clark took it all in, feeling a weight lifted as he accepted there was no conspiracy, no plot for revenge. Just a figment of his imagination. "Why?" he asked him. "Why did you do all of this? I killed Lex Luthor. You should've brought me in."

Bruce stared at him sadly, but took a commanding breath as he fixed him with a determined glare. "Listen to me. I did this for the people of Metropolis. For the world." Clark opened his mouth to protest, but batman stopped him. "The world needs Superman to be a beacon of hope. A symbol, something to aspire to. All the good you've done, all the lives you've save, it brought a level of peace and light to humanity in a way I never could. If they found out you killed someone, even someone like Lex Luthor in cold blood, all of the good you've done will be undone. Everything you helped built with tear itself apart and may never be fixed.

"I had to protect you, Clark. Protect your legacy. Mankind can never know the truth about that man's fate. It'll destroy you and he will have finally won." He took a pained breath, glancing away momentarily to gather himself. "I've seen it before; great men losing their way because of one mistake. I can't let it happen again." He looked back at Clark, grasping his friend and stealing him with his gaze. "The world needs Superman. Don't lose yourself to this. Don't let Lex have this victory."

Clark stared back at him, overcome with the bond he and Batman had never acknowledged. He closed his eyes, a small tear running down his cheek as he sat there with his friend, letting go of that weight he'd been carrying for days and just joining him in silence.

As usual, Batman had it all figured out. He released the story of how Superman had been dosed by red kryptonite during the meteor shower, no one aware of the contamination until recently, explaining away his unusual behaviour. Clark was uncomfortable lying to the world, even more uneasy keeping his secret from the rest of the Justice League. But Bruce convinced him it was for the best not to drag them in, they couldn't ask their friends to lie for them or risk the truth getting out.

After making his apologies to his teammates Clark took some much needed time off to recover from the traumatic experiences, returning to the Kent farm to help out around the place and relax, gather his thought, chase away any lingering ghosts that haunted him. Bruce kept his distance, happy he wasn't going to have another mental breakdown now he knew he was no longer alone.

The transition went smoother than either of them expected, and within a fortnight Superman was back in Metropolis hovering over the city, looking down at the people he'd sworn to protect with his life.

Floated there peacefully, the brief echo of a familiar laugh in the distant corners of his mind. Clark took a deep breath, banishing the voices for good as he opened his eyes, his focused gaze falling on the horizon.

 _Lex Luthor is dead, and the world needs Superman._

 _ **The End.**_


End file.
